What exactly makes these unpopular majors so unattractive?

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Looking at the process of filling out college application forms over the years, there are essentially just two issues that cause the most confusion for candidates and their parents: whether to give priority to the university or to the major； First, which one to choose among the many popular majors? It is evident that the strong interest of many students and parents in popular university majors has indirectly led to some so-called less popular majors being neglected. If less popular majors could speak up, I think what they would most want to shout is: \"Why is it considered a popular major and gets all the attention and favor, while I’m just a less popular major? What exactly is wrong with me that I’m not favored in this way?\" ” 　　Actually, I sometimes wonder too: since we keep hearing people talk about “popular majors” and “unpopular majors,” what exactly are unpopular majors, and why are they classified as such? After all, when a sentence is to be imposed, some explanation has to be given so that people can accept it willingly. 　　To resolve everyone’s confusion and my own doubts, I decided to investigate things thoroughly to find out the truth. Truly, you don’t know until you see it – and once you do, you’ll laugh out loud. It turns out that the reason these majors are considered unpopular is due to their various and strange characteristics. What does it mean to be affected even when doing nothing? You’ll understand this by looking at why certain university majors are considered unpopular. 　　◆◆ ◆ 　　1. Taboos in traditional concepts As the saying goes, “Thoughts guide actions.” If one has taboos or aversions toward something from the outset, how can that thing be easily accepted? Especially in Chinese culture, there are many taboos and misconceptions; although society has progressed and policies have been relaxed regarding certain university majors, such as those in funeral services management. 　　Due to the reluctance associated with traditional concepts and the lag in technological development, there are currently less than 5 vocational and technical colleges across the country that offer this major. Among them, the Department of Funeral Services at Changsha Civil Affairs Vocational and Technical College provides two specialized tracks: Modern Funeral Technology and Management, and Cemetery Design. Under the Modern Funeral Technology and Management track, further specializations include Funeral Services, Funeral Equipment, and Embalming and Cosmetology. Market research conducted by the Economic and Social Commission shows that graduates from funeral management programs enjoy quite attractive salaries; in large cities, these salaries can even reach 180,000 yuan per year. 　　However, some parents and candidates are deeply influenced by traditional beliefs and hold a deep aversion toward funerary practices. Upon learning that the course content includes \"Introduction to Funerary Practices on Monday, body collection, embalming, flower arrangement\", and \"Bone cremation, mourning couplets, feng shui, and infectious diseases on Tuesday\". ”They even refuse to let their children apply for such majors. Some timid candidates, upon seeing these course arrangements, also exclaimed that they couldn’t handle it or accept it, which led to the funeral management major being labeled as a \"unpopular major\". 　　◆◆ ◆ 　　2. Supply exceeds demand, with low societal demand. In fact, when filling out college application forms after the college entrance exams, whether one gives priority to the institution or to the major, and whether one chooses popular or less popular majors, the ultimate goal is to have better employment prospects in the future. In other words, when filling out their application forms, candidates are greatly influenced by societal demands; in particular, the supply and demand dynamics in society serve as an \"invisible guiding force\" in determining their choices. 　　A few years or even a decade earlier, teacher training and law programs were still popular majors that many students rushed to enroll in. However, as the number of students enrolled in these programs increased sharply, so did the number of graduates. Coupled with the slow turnover in teaching and legal-related positions, demand in society has gradually reached saturation in recent years, with signs of an oversupply. Therefore, fields such as law and education-related majors are also classified by candidates and parents as “unpopular majors”. 　　◆◆ ◆ 　　3. Harsh working conditions and high risk levels In the university curriculum, some engineering majors are also classified as “unpopular majors.” This is not due to any ideological concerns or low societal demand, but rather because of the harsh working conditions and high risk levels associated with these professions. For both candidates and their parents, a more cautious attitude is taken toward these majors, including: Marine Engineering Technology, Water Supply and Drainage Engineering, Mechanics, Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, as compared to fields such as Science and Technology, Nuclear Science and Technology, Agricultural Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Power Engineering, and Metallurgical Engineering. 　　Knowing the career prospects after graduating from these university majors, one either ends up working in remote mountainous areas or at sea, far away from home ； Either one has to work in dangerous environments, something that many candidates and their parents tend to avoid; they would rather choose a major with a stable working environment and lower salaries, rather than pursuing those majors that offer high pay but involve difficult and dangerous working conditions. Over time, these engineering majors automatically became unpopular \"niche majors\" that no one paid attention to. 　　◆◆ ◆ 　　4. Fear of agriculture: One issue affects everyone involved. Although our country is a world-renowned agricultural power, university programs related to agriculture still do not attract many applicants. The main reason is that many parents and students are afraid of agriculture and avoid it. Especially for some rural students, their parents hope that their children will be able to get into a good university, study a good major, and secure a good job in the future, thus putting themselves completely away from anything related to agriculture; naturally, they do not want their children to choose majors associated with agriculture. 　　Therefore, in the eyes of many candidates and their parents, all agricultural-related majors are considered unpopular fields; majors such as agriculture, forestry, plant protection, tea science, sericulture, aquaculture, horticulture, landscape architecture, grassland science, and agricultural and forestry economics management are all treated as one and the same. 　　◆◆ ◆ 　　5. They have existed for too long, lacking freshness. With the development of information science and technology, many new university majors have emerged and become the favorites of many candidates and their parents; whereas those majors that are older are naturally regarded as \"less popular\" majors. For example, Chinese language and literature programs: almost all universities offer such programs, making them truly \"traditional\" majors ； History-related majors are widely regarded as the least promising and less popular fields, as many people believe that studying history does not necessarily help fill gaps in historical knowledge; on the contrary, it may create such gaps. Moreover, it is not certain that one will be able to find a job in this field. 　　In addition, fields such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics are all disciplines that have existed for a long time; in the eyes of many candidates, they represent merely an extension of the subjects studied in middle and high school, and they seem to hold little value. They are not comparable to modern fields such as computer science and software development. As a result, it naturally became considered a \"less popular major\" in the eyes of many people. 　　◆◆ ◆ 　　6. It’s purely the name of the major that causes problems. Some university majors are considered \"unpopular\" simply because people don’t like their names – things like philosophy, Marxism, political education, ethics, logic, theology, etc. Just hearing those names makes one think they are topics studied by old people. 　　Moreover, these majors are not popular in China either. In the eyes of some parents, philosophy means being crazy; how could they allow their children to study it? And what use is there for any kind of religious studies in a society that rejects feudalism like China’s? Surely their children aren’t going to become monks or nuns in the future. Therefore, just by hearing their names, these majors are cast aside by candidates and their parents. 　　Editor’s summary: After looking at the six reasons why certain less popular university majors are considered such, it’s clear that some of these majors indeed offer poor employment prospects, low salaries, and difficult working conditions, which is why they are not favored by many people. It’s really unfair that certain majors are labeled as \"unpopular\" merely due to some unfounded reasons. It is hoped that candidates and their parents will, when choosing a major, conduct a thorough understanding of various aspects such as the academic content of the major, the quality of the teaching staff, employment prospects, and the working environment. They should not blindly classify certain \"innocent\" majors as being \"unpopular\".